Cover designed by Najla Qamber Designs
Release Date September 14th, 2015
A journey through time.
A scarlet letter.
A soul crushing betrayal.
The thrilling Legends Saga concludes in a mash-up of literary all-stars. The works of Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe, HG Wells, and Nathaniel Hawthorne come to life in an intricately weaved backstory of love, lies, and deception. The driving force of all involved? Passion. But when that passion is cloaked in darkness, madness reigns.
EXCERPT
Watching her mother die was the most beautiful thing Preen had ever witnessed. There was no choked breath rattling from her lungs. No frothy bile bubbling past her paling lips. Nothing so vile tarnished the moment of pure peace in which Haddy Hester drew her final breath and crossed Death’s threshold with a contented smile curled across her lips.
Preen held her mother’s cold, still hand in both of hers, dotting one last kiss to the tender palm that had dried her tears so many times. Now they fell free, unchecked in this suddenly callous world. Her head tilted, the curtain of her mahogany hair sweeping over her shoulders. Gazing upon her mother’s beauty, she was relieved the sweeping stillness of death could not pilfer it.In a slow, sweet lullaby, she sang her mother’s spirit off to the Summerland, just as her mother had sung to her when she was but a babe. “Tom, he was a piper’s son. He learnt to play when he was young. And all the tune that he could play, was o’er the hills and far away.”
Wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, Preen folded her mother’s hands neatly over her midsection and silently assured her own aching heart that they would meet again someday.
*****
A chorus of catcalls were drowned out by the opening chords of Iggy Azalea’s “Black Widow”. To the horny onlookers’ disappointment, no scantily clad beauty wiggled around the pole for them. Instead, a cloaked figure stalked forward. The thick tread of her scuffed motorcycle boots thumped against the stage with each purposeful stride. The sword and axe hanging low on her hips were made all the more intimidating by the black hood that shadowed her face.
In a prime seat for a money shot, right in the front row, a drunk in a trench coat and sweatpants slapped a stack of singles down on the glitter covered stage. “Take it off!” he slurred in encouragement.
Metal winged through the air. A blur of speed, the crack of snapping fabric, and she was crouched in front of him. The blade of her sword pressed menacingly to his throat, held there by the pressure of her forearm.
“I could take it off, drop it to the floor, and make it roll,” she purred, violent intent dripping from her tone, “but I have a feeling those terms mean something very different to me.”
The sweaty pervert blanched. His eyes bulged further as she shrugged off her hood. A bone-white face stared back at him, black veins twining intricate lace patterns beneath the surface of her skin. Her lips had been kissed to a frost-bite blue. The dark shadows that lurked around her eyes took the smoky-eyed look to a whole new level. Some may have thought her look to be lovely in a darkly twisted way, but they probably didn’t know the body count associated with it.
About the author:
RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series NovelYoung Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012
Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013
Stacey Rourke lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant, dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. Mark your calendars! Her latest literary adventure, Crane, will release May 26, 2014. She is currently hard at work on the continuations of this thrilling Legends Saga, as well as other literary projects.
Eric has weeks before his final battle when he's in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can't survive if he fights alone. But he doesn't want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war.
Two nightmares. One memory.
"Chaos within destiny. It was the definition of our love."
Eric has weeks before his final battle when he's in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can't survive if he fights alone. But he doesn't want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war.
Jessica's memory isn't the only thing she's lost. Her desire to find her parents is gone and so is her confidence. But when fate leaves nightmares behind, she decides to find the boy she sees in them, even if it risks her sanity.
Seconds Before Sunrise is the exciting sequel to Minutes Before Sunset by Shannon A. Thompson. Find out why readers are enthralled with the Timely Death Trilogy.
GUEST POST
Not Just A Romance Story
Recently, I read an article Meg Cabot tweeted that covered the judgment surrounding romance novels in today’s reading society. The writer, Kristan Higgins, made some great points, the main one being that a “romance” novel is a lot more than a romance, and I think this holds true for every genre. A “mystery” holds more than just a mystery, and a “thriller” has moments that are beyond thrilling. In every story, we have themes and characters and emotions and elements that go beyond whatever genre a publisher decided to label the story with (because, if we were to be perfectly honest, genres are a marketing tool and not necessarily accurate).
That aside, I’ve learned a lot by having my latest trilogy, The Timely Death Trilogy, release as a paranormal romance. The main question I’ve been asked isn’t a surprise at all. “Is it like Twilight?” And, while yes, it is in the same genre, The Timely Death Trilogy has no vampires, no love triangles, and certainly no werewolves. Not that there is anything wrong with that! But books in the same genre can vary from topic to topic. I think the main variation comes from your voice and the layers of themes scattered throughout the work.
While romance is certainly relevant in The Timely Death Trilogy, romance, to me, is not the central factor. Understanding identity was the main theme I set out to explore. Considering each character has two identities—one shade or light form (the paranormal form) and a human form—I knew I’d be working with the complexities of human psychology. What I never expected was for my characters to create one of my favorite world-building aspects of The Timely Death Trilogy. Whenever they change forms, their personalities shifted too. Take the side character, Jonathon Stone, for example. As a human, he’s a half-blind, borderline genius painter who remains quiet and studious, but as a shade, he can see with both eyes and reveals he can’t paint. He’s also stronger and able to fight. This is only an example, but the shifting characters—from one identity to the next—was ultimately what brought out the focus and voice of the story. It also created the chaos. Considering a war is coming up between the two sects, and no one knows who the other is, secrets are bound to destroy people. (Secrets that make up who a person is.) So, while The Timely Death Trilogy has some star-crossed moments, the trilogy is far from just a romance. We’re at war with our human selves and our paranormal selves. We’re at war not knowing who the person in front of us is. We’re at war with the lies and secrets we’ve been told. But, mainly, we’re at war with ourselves.
Whether love is found through family, friendship, or romance, love just might help them win.
That’s why the tagline for the sequel, Seconds Before Sunrise, is so important.
“Chaos within destiny. It was the definition of our love.”
A romance can be chaotic too. In fact, it can be everything.
~SAT
Book One in the Timely Death Trilogy, currently FREE on Amazon!
About the author:Shannon A. Thompson is a twenty-three-year-old author, avid reader, and habitual chatterbox. She was merely sixteen when she was first published, and a lot has happened since then.
Thompson's work has appeared in numerous poetry collections and anthologies, and her first installment of The Timely Death Trilogy became Goodreads' Book of the Month.
Cover designed by Najla Qamber Designs
Release Date September 14th, 2015
A journey through time.
A scarlet letter.
A soul crushing betrayal.
The thrilling Legends Saga concludes in a mash-up of literary all-stars. The works of Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe, HG Wells, and Nathaniel Hawthorne come to life in an intricately weaved backstory of love, lies, and deception. The driving force of all involved? Passion. But when that passion is cloaked in darkness, madness reigns.
MB's INTERVIEW
1. From „The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1820) to „The Legend Saga” – Why such subject and what does your series bring to the Ichabod Crane fame?
Since I was a little girl I have been fascinated by Sleepy Hollow and all things Horseman! This project is an act of love that sheds a new light not just on Sleepy Hollow but also other legendary literary works from such authors as; Edgar Allen Poe, HG Wells, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
2. The cover of Steam is in the same tones with the first two, but still it seems to be a bit more... mundane... in a steampunk way... Tell us about the correlation between the covers and the stories and how difficult it is to find „the cover”.
This particular book twists the works of HG Wells and Nathaniel Hawthorne into an intricate back story. I need a cover that has hints of Steampunk for Wells, as well as intrigue for Hawthorne. Thanks to my brilliant cover designer, Najla Qamber Designs, she made that come together beautifully!
3. And, please, tell us about the verses that we’ll find in the stories. Kind of in the E.A. Poe style, what is their role?
The main characters are cursed by some of literatures greatest hits! What it means to have the curse of Poe? Well, it’s dark and twisted … and you’ll have to read the series to find out!
4. You said about yourself that you write to get the crazy out just enough so you can function. How crazy are your stories and why did you write them in a YA note?
I really enjoy tales of the dark and twisted. While I didn’t target YA with The Legends Saga as I did with The Gryphon Series, the “fade to black” sexy moments to give parents the peace of mind that they don’t have to worry about their teens reading this series for THAT reason. However, there is violent content. But with the Headless Horseman involved that’s pretty much mandatory.
5. What do you think about today’s YA Paranormal /Paranormal horror literature and what do you want to achieve with “The Legend Saga” and in particular with “Steam”?
I really love reading YA! That’s my automatic “go to” section in the book store because there aren’t the rules there are with adult fiction. In YA anything goes and I LOVE that!
Goodreads ** Amazon ** Barnes&Noble
About the author:
RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series NovelYoung Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012
Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013
Stacey Rourke lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant, dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. Mark your calendars! Her latest literary adventure, Crane, will release May 26, 2014. She is currently hard at work on the continuations of this thrilling Legends Saga, as well as other literary projects.
Cover Reveal - Life as a private investigator is tough, but it’s even worse when you’re a semi-immortal wizard private investigator whose tolerance for humans grows thinner by the day. Just when he thinks things can’t get worse, in she walks.
Release Date: TBA
Jack Bridge is having a very bad day.
Jack Bridge is having a very bad day.
Life as a private investigator is tough, but it’s even worse when you’re a semi-immortal wizard private investigator whose tolerance for humans grows thinner by the day. Just when he thinks things can’t get worse, in she walks.
Kate West, beautiful and complex in equal measure, with a problem only Jack can solve. Daemons, magic, voodoo, and vamps; it’s all very real, and Jack Bridge is the last line of defense against the creatures of Elsewhere.
Sometimes being semi-immortal just isn’t enough.
About the author:
Adam Millard is the author of twenty novels, ten novellas, and more than a hundred short stories, which can be found in various collections and anthologies. Probably best known for his post-apocalyptic fiction, Adam also writes fantasy/horror for children. He created the character Peter Crombie, Teenage Zombie just so he had something decent to read to his son at bedtime. Adam also writes Bizarro fiction for several publishers, who enjoy his tales of flesh-eating clown-beetles and rabies-infected derrieres so much that they keep printing them. His "Dead" series has recently been the filling in a Stephen King/Bram Stoker sandwich on Amazon's bestsellers chart. Adam writes and edits for UK horror website This Is Horror, whose columnists include BC Furtney, Simon Bestwick and Simon Marshall-Jones.Adam lives with his beautiful wife, Zoe-Ray, and their wonderful son, Phoenix Justice. There are also chickens, rabbits and cats, but the less said about that the better.
Cover Reveal organized by Roane Publishing
18+ Hiding in an isolated Newfoundland outport, Scarlett Winters is the living bearer of the secret of immortality. Sebastian Sinclair, vampire and stealer of souls, might be her only hope to escape a deadly power struggle. But can she trust him? Caught between sacrificing her morals and betrayal by those she trusted, Scarlett will risk everything to escape...unless she dies trying.
Published: August 14th, 2015
An otherworldly land shrouded in mist and teeming with natural beauty is the backdrop for Granny assassins, secret agent witches and vigilante vampires.
Scarlett Winters was marked for death at the moment of her conception. She will have to sacrifice her morals and betrayal of those she trusted to escape those who want to steal her last breath.
Sebastian Sinclair is a vampire and stealer of souls. Soft spoken, compassionate, a pillar of unwavering strength. He has spent his entire life being his twin’s lifeline, taking her burdens as his own. Deep down he craves to release the passion bubbling underneath the surface and give into his vampire nature.
Declynn Sinclair: A bold, impulsive and reckless sanguine vampire. She shrouds herself in a shell of cold indifference protecting her vulnerability and the agony of her past.Will this supernatural trio overcome archaic rivalries and personal demons to work together to conquer a relentless, sinister predator?
Caution: the book you are about to read includes scenes of violence, assault, and explicit sex which may not be suitable for all readers. This novel carries a trigger warning.
On a less serious note, be aware that Canadian spellings appear and Newfoundland words and phrases.
About the author:
This love grew into a passionate affair and has been ongoing for thirty years; and there are no signs of it waning.
Though, she admits, when she was pregnant with her son Christian, the affair cooled.
Tina’s desire to write came calling once again when she needed to find a way to cope with heartbreaking news.
Christian was diagnosed with autism in 2010.
Her method of coping was to write a story about his journey called Forever, Christian.
Tina likes to joke that a girl can only write about real life for so long without jumping back into the world of make believe.
She loves to venture into the world of the supernatural; vampires and witches are her favourite!
Tina enjoys all sorts of vampires but admits that she is fascinated with the modern romantic vampire (think Twilight and The Vampire Diaries).
She is currently working on a vampire series based on her first published book, Destiny of The Vampire and has other projects in the works.
When Tina is not at the computer creating her exciting, magical worlds, she is kept on her toes by her two sons, Christian and Brandon.
Sometimes the author manages to curl up in her favourite chair with a good book.
Author's Giveaway
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